5 Facts You Might Not Know About Social Security
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: July 19, 2018
Most people know at least something about Social Security. For decades, Social Security has been providing valuable information and tools to help you build financial security. Here’s your opportunity to find out a little more, with some lesser-known facts about Social Security.
1. Social Security pays benefits to children.
Social Security pays benefits to unmarried children whose parents are deceased, disabled, or retired. See Benefits for Children for the specific requirements.
2. Social Security can pay benefits to parents.
Most people know that when a worker dies, we can pay benefits to surviving spouses and children. What you may not know is that under certain circumstances, we can pay benefits to a surviving parent. Read our Fact Sheet Parent’s Benefits, for the details.
3. Widows’ and widowers’ payments can continue if remarriage occurs after age 60.
Remarriage ends survivor’s benefits when it occurs before age 60, but benefits can continue for marriages after age 60.
4. If a spouse draws reduced retirement benefits before starting spouse’s benefits (his or her spouse is younger), the spouse will not receive 50 percent of the worker’s benefit amount.
Your full spouse’s benefit could be up to 50 percent of your spouse’s full retirement age amount if you are full retirement age when you take it. If you qualify for your own retirement benefit and a spouse’s benefit, we always pay your own benefit first. (For example, you are eligible for $400 from your own retirement and $150 as a spouse for a total of $550.) The reduction rates for retirement and spouses benefits are different. If your spouse is younger, you cannot receive benefits unless he or she is receiving benefits (except for divorced spouses). If you took your reduced retirement first while waiting for your spouse to reach retirement age, when you add spouse’s benefits later, your own retirement portion remains reduced which causes the total retirement and spouses benefit together to total less than 50 percent of the worker’s amount. You can find out more on our website.
5. If your spouse’s retirement benefit is higher than your retirement benefit, and he or she chooses to take reduced benefits and dies first, your survivor benefit will be reduced, but may be higher than what your spouse received.
If the deceased worker started receiving reduced retirement benefits before their full retirement age, a special rule called the retirement insurance benefit limit may apply to the surviving spouse. The retirement insurance benefit limit is the maximum survivor benefit you may receive. Generally, the limit is the higher of:
- The reduced monthly retirement benefit to which the deceased spouse would have been entitled if they had lived, or
- 82.5 percent of the unreduced deceased spouse’s monthly benefit if they had started receiving benefits at their full retirement age (rather than choosing to receive a reduced retirement benefit early).
Social Security helps secure your financial future by providing the facts you need to make life’s important decisions.
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Tags: retirement benefits, Social Security benefits
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Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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Beverly C.
It’s a shame that SSA would give this widow an allotted amount and try to take it back after they made an error. This is criminal, they need to take responsibility for their errors!!
Bak D.
Yes my question about my social security number card how login to get my social security card in to po box or post office or DHS post office or my address is a viale isonzo 11 Milan Lodi state Italian code is 20135 first name is bak last name is danso birth 01 01 1987 phone number is+39-3512302425 this information All about my social security card now
elenita j.
at what age can i apply for social benefit under my spouse benefit
Toni A.
I am married, so when I retire at age 67, I will collect my full retirement pay, my husband will retire 5 years later. So since I have made more money than him over the years, he will get a higher retirement check. So where does that money come from? Does it come from my retirement check?
Donna R.
I was. Ripped off for my 4 years back payments. By the hollywood vine office in los angeles. They are rude most of them that work there are from another country and wouldnt even give me a copy out of my medical file that i need to get my housing homeless they are pregidace i want to file a charges against them .i go there 3 times. Only to get nothing done that i need for my housing ….they should not work there.to much control..they have over the usa people.
Lee A.
I have been trying to apply for an account with SSA, because I am being asked for a state side address. I am currently living in Furth, Germany, but I do have an APO address.Can I set up an account with only this information?
Ray F.
Thank you for contacting us, Lee. The “my Social Security” authentication system requires address verification as one of the essential criteria for issuing an account. People with APO/FPO/DPO addresses can create an account overseas, but our system does not support registration and account creation for users with a foreign address yet.
We recommend that individuals living outside the United States contact the nearest Federal Benefits Unit or U.S. Embassy in their area, for any assistance related to Social Security programs and benefits. Also, our Office of International Operations home page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad.
We hope this information helps!
Claudia O.
When will Congress stop stealing from the Social Security fund? Started with LBJ to fund his “Great Society”. It was only fund with a surplus. When did every other program start having to be funded by those of us who paid into Social Security which was supposed to be our retirement?
Ray F.
Claudia, Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system. Social Security taxes collected from today’s workers pay the benefits of today’s retirees. Any funds in excess of what is needed to pay today’s benefits are invested in special issue, U.S. Government, interest-bearing securities. This investment – the purchase of U.S. Government securities – is what constitutes the “borrowing” that people are sometimes concerned about. Any funds that have been “borrowed” from the Social Security Trust Funds have always been paid back in full, plus interest. Please check out our Trust Fund Frequently Asked Questions web page for more information. Thanks!
HOWARD M.
Thanks. Please provide information about a surviving wife’s eligibility to get social security income based on her deceased husband’s social security income if her current social security income is less than her husband’s was.
Ray F.
Thank you for your question Howard. In general, a widow can start receiving reduced benefits as early as age 60. (age 50 if disabled). Widows may have additional options. In many cases, a widow can begin receiving one benefit at a reduced rate and then, at full retirement age, switch to the other benefit at an unreduced rate. The rules are complicated and vary depending on the situation.
In your situation, if your wife is already getting Social Security benefits as a wife based on your record, we’ll change her payments to widow’s benefits when we receive the report of death. If your wife is getting benefits on her own record, then she will have to call us or contact her local office. We’ll check to see if she can get more money as a widow. If so, she’ll get a combination of benefits that equals the higher amount. See our Benefits Planner: Survivors/If You Are The Survivor for more information.
Thang D.
Dear Sir/Madam:
I’m planning for retirement. I have 2 children under age 18. According to your information each of my children will receive 1/2 of my full retirement benefit until they reach the age of 18. For Instance, if my benefit is $2,000 per month, each of my will receive $1,000 per month on top of my benefit that is I will be receiving $4,000 monthly. Am I correct? Please advise. Thank you.
Ray F.
You’re right, Thang. When you start receiving Social Security retirement benefits, some members of your family may also qualify to receive benefits on your record. If they qualify, your spouse or child may receive a monthly payment of up to one-half of your full retirement benefit amount. However, there is a limit to the amount we can pay each family member. The total depends on your benefit amount and the number of family members who also qualify on your record.
Benefits for family members have always been limited by the family maximum rules. The maximum family benefit is the maximum monthly amount that can be paid on a worker’s earnings record.
See Benefits For Your Family for more information. Thanks!
Allan T.
Is our COLA protected even if the current administration does not want to pay it in 2019?
Kim M.
I was wondering if folks that’s on disability was going to get cola for 2019 I was trying to find it out on here but haven’t found it yet
Vonda V.
Hi Kim: If you’re referring to the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2019, we will know that information in late October, when the increase in the Consumer Price Index as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics is announced. As always, we will keep you informed. Thanks!